


Raven Wings and Lion Manes

by NowImJustSomebodyThat



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Canon, Canon-Typical Violence, Jimon Week, Kidnapping, M/M, Slow Burn, Tags will change as chapters go up, birthday gift, daemon AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-15
Updated: 2017-03-04
Packaged: 2018-09-24 18:53:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9780497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NowImJustSomebodyThat/pseuds/NowImJustSomebodyThat
Summary: Daemons are a big deal in Nephilim culture. The Daemon a person has defines their entire life. Crows mean Silent Brothers, black wolves mean Iron Sisters, Institute Leaders have predators which demand respect.Jace has a White Lion.According to history, that means he's gonna do something absolutely insane.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> It's Jimon Week!!! This is my Day six entry: Animals!!! It's early because it's something else.
> 
> It's also a birthday gift for the amazing, the beautiful, the wonderful Tessa (johnkrasinski on tumblr). Happy 20th birthday, you beautiful gift of a human being. Here's some jimon, because this is the only shipping I can afford.

_And So, as the Angel Raziel gifted his own Blood to the farmer, the farmer’s daemon began to glow a gold light, before Resettling in the form of a Great White Lion. Beside him, his Wife’s daemon glowed the same gold light, and Resettled in the form of a Black Raven. Or so the stories tell us. Of course, such an iconic origin story has lead to the development, and subsequent idolisation, of people with either a White Lion or a Black Raven as a daemon. There is little knowledge left of the forms the daemons took previously, or as to why the change to a Lion or a Raven. One argument is that the Angel Raziel wished for Shadowhunters to have regal daemons, however few would classify common Shadowhunter daemons, such as hunting dogs or birds of prey, as regal. It is evident that there is an underlying meaning between not only the forms the daemons took, but the fact that they were part of a married pair. No such pair has yet to be seen again, but many, including Silent Brothers gifted with the Rune Of Foresight, have predicted that, when the pair shows itself, that the Shadowworld will become anew._

Nephilim And Daemons: A Study of Daemon-Nephilim Mythology, 1927 ~

When Jace was five, his daemon, Winona, was a labrador pup. She was black, which meant that she was hard to see in the dark, and she used that opportunity to continuously terrorise and scare Jace. He’d always laugh once his heart slowed down, and his father would smile as his father’s vulture daemon watched them with beady eyes. “I wonder what you’re gonna be.” He said into her fur one day as they watched Michael Wayland make spaghetti.

“I could be a wolf. A bigger dog.” Winona said, batting at Jace’s shoelace.

“That’d be fun.”

“Or maybe a giraffe. With a super long neck that you could slide on!” Winona rolled onto her back, and Jace ran his fingers through the soft fur on her belly.

“Or you could be a shark! Wait, no, that wouldn’t work.” Jace’s face fell as he realised how silly it would be to have a shark as a daemon.

Winona giggled. “You’d have to carry me around in a tank.”

“Then no shark. What about a… um… the thing we saw… a deer! With really big horns and you could be super fast!” Jace put his hands above his head, pretending he had the horns of the deer they saw that morning. “Or a bird, like Samael.” The vulture in question snapped his head in their direction, and the pair giggled.

“I hardly believe you have the makings of a bird, Winona.” He drawled, examining one outstretched wing.

“What do you think I could be?” The pup asked, head tilted to match Jace’s inquisitive expression.

“I think,” Michael cut in, “that Winona has the possibility to be anything. The two of you are only young, anyway.”

Samael turned to his Human. “You hardly believe she could be a bird.”

Michael shrugged, stirring the pot. “They are young, Samael. Only time will tell.” Samael looked back at the pair, then turned back to his wing, preening and plucking feathers as the pair on the floor tumbled and laughed.

~~~

When Simon was six, his daemon, Darissa, was a canary. She was the only bird in a class full of puppies and rabbits and a honey badger belonging to a girl who looked like she fell head-first in red paint. First day jitters had him curled in the corner whilst Darissa introduced herself to everyone. Darissa liked the honey-badger best. “His human has seedy things.” She twittered, flying over Simon’s head in figure-eights.

“Do we hafta say hi?” He groaned, but stood up without any more complaints as Darissa dived straight for the honey badger.

“Cenon! Cenon!” Darissa flitted above the honey badger, who looked up from his snack with concern.

“Did something burn down? Is your human okay?” Cenon looked towards Simon, then sighed. “Oh, you’re introducing.”

“Well, we’re such good friends, and we’re souls, that I thought ‘Hey, they should be friends too!’ It makes sense!” Darissa explained, still flitting about and making Simon a little dizzy as she dipped and dived and swerved. “Come on! Come on! Introduce her!” Cenon rolled his eyes and nosed his human’s knee. When she looked down, he whispered into her ear, before pointing to Simon. His human got up, and looked at him. She pouted, before sticking out her hand.

“I’m Clary.” She said matter-of-factly, and Simon shook her hand.

“I’m Simon.” Clary nodded, and sat down. She waited a few seconds, then looked back at Simon.

“Do you have anywhere else to sit?” When Simon shook his head, she used all of her six-year-old strength to push the spare chair out. Simon sat, and Clary picked up Cenon and put him on the table. “This is Cenon. He said we’re going to be best friends.”

Simon lifted his hand, and Darissa landed, with a little bit of a tumble, onto his open palm. “This is Darissa. She said we’re going to be the best of friends.” Clary looked at him and nodded.

“Okay.” She said, before opening her lunchbox. “Do you want my cookies? They’re oatmeal.”

Simon took a cookie, and reached into his jacket pocket, where he had expertly hidden extra snacks. However, he didn’t expertly pick the flavour. “I’ve got a chocolate bar. It’s got coconut in it, and I hate coconut.” The pair swapped, and their daemons played as they ate their lunch.

~~~

Winona was a ferret when Michael gave Jace a falcon. The falcon was not like her, didn't speak Human like she did, but she could speak bird. And so, Winona swapped fur for blue and black feathers and began to teach this falcon how to speak. “My name is Winona” She said in Human. “Now you try.”

“My name is… my name…” The falcon paused, then looked at Winona.” I don't have a name.”

Winona stopped, then flew over to Jace, who was reading. “Jace! Jace! Jace! Jace!” She flittered around his face. “We need a name!”

Jace looked up, confused. “Who needs a name?” Winona pulled at his hair. “Ow! What was that for?”

“You forgot to give them a name, dumbo.” Winona looked at his book. “Any good names in there?”

“Not really, it’s all history and stuff.” Jace said. “Does the history involve people?” Jace closed the book. “Nope. It’s all countries and stuff.”

The falcon flew over, and perched on Jace’s shoulder. They peered down at the name on the book, and shrugged - well, as well as a bird could shrug. “That name looks okay.” They said slowly, still getting used to Human. The other two peered down at the name.

“Well, as names go, it isn’t bad.” Jace said, before looking back at the falcon. “Alright, Javed, what do you want to do first?”

“Flight training?” Javed suggested, and the other two nodded.

As the days went by, the three of them became inseparable. Jace said, once, that it was like having two daemons, even though he knew that Winona was his, and Javed was a regular old bird, who wasn’t really so regular now that he could speak human. The two birds learnt to fly together, to hunt together, to the point that they were a well oiled machine, impeccable hunters and never made mistakes. They twittered at each other as they worked, communicating and learning and always watching out for each other. Whenever Samael watched the pair, he sneered and flew to his Human. And then came judgement day, glaringly bright and oddly still. Jace stood to one side, Winona perched on his shoulder, whilst Javed was perched on a bird perch. Michael looked at Javed’s wings, at his talons and his beak. He held out his hand, and Javed hopped on, eyes bright with hope.

“It is rare for a falcon to perch on a hand without hurting its perch.” Michael said. “How did you do it?”

Jace stood proud. “I asked him to.”

Michael frowned. “Asked him? Not trained him?”

Jace looked a little shaken. “I didn’t need to train him. He listened.”

Michael nodded. “He listened.” He turned to Samael, who was waiting in a nearby tree. “Samael, take Winona flying.”

Winona looked at her Human, who nodded. “It’s fine, I’ll be okay.” He said, so Winona took a final look at Javed and took off.

They kept close, so as to not put stress on the bond between Jace and herself, and she could feel something through the bond. Fear? Neediness? Jace said everything would be okay. When she returned, everything was not okay. There were a few feathers in the clearing, and an area of freshly mound dirt. When Samael wasn’t looking, she collected the last of Javed’s feathers and hid them in Jace’s room. That night, she got rid of her feathers and became a wallaby, small enough that she could curl up in Jace’s arms and comfort him as they mourned. She would never wear feathers again.

~~~

When Darissa was a cat, sleek and black and slightly spooky-looking, Simon’s Dad died. She was there, when it happened, nose pressed against his flickering Sparrow daemon as Dad’s heart flickered in sync. There was a last sigh, a long beep, and the only thing left of the sparrow was a small pile of gold dust, and even that faded away as doctors came in and comforted those that were left. Elaine’s wolf daemon, Celio, pressed his head against her knee and didn’t leave her side as she left the room. Rebecca’s daemon, which was a Maine Coon three days ago, was now a rabbit, and she sobbed into the ginger fur as her father was wheeled out.

Simon?

He tried to run.

As soon as he stood up, Darissa knew what he was going to do, and she bolted to the door. “Don’t you dare.” She hissed, hackles raised.

“Let me through, Dar.” He said, eyes soft.

She planted her feet, and made herself as big as she could get. “No.”

Simon’s hands began to twitch at his sides. “Get out of the way, Darissa. I’m not asking.”

“And neither am I. I’m not going to let you run away! You’re in pain, trust me I know, but running isn’t going to do anything other than make you feel worse.” She moved to press her nose against his leg. “Please, Simon, don’t run.” His legs began to shake, and Darissa feared that he’d run. Instead, however, his knees buckled, and he collapsed in a heap, sobbing. She curled up by his head, and projected as much warmth as she could back at him. “I love you so much, Simon.” She said, and she repeated this little mantra until Elaine came to take them home.

The drive was cold, even though it was the middle of summer. Simon’s hand didn’t leave her back as he ran his fingers through her fur, up and down and up and down and up and down and up and down. Simon stared out the window, and didn’t say a word. When they got home, they were surrounded by people. By Jocelyn and her lorikeet daemon, Luke and his macaw daemon, by Clary and Cenon, who was now an amber coloured iguana. Simon, Clary, Cenon and Darissa curled under the table, and if Clary’s fingers brushed Darissa’s tail, or Cenon pressed a claw against Simon, well, nobody needs to know. As the days went by, things changed between Clary and Simon. They were closer, tight knit and their daemons didn’t seem to care who they were sitting on, or climbing on, or using as a landing pad. Cenon and Darissa seemed to share thoughts on what creature to be next, to the point where the only way you could tell the difference between the pair was the colour of the daemon, because Darissa preferred drastic colour choices, and Cenon would rather be a tick than attempt a baby blue puppy. It reached a point where strangers would ask who's daemon was who's, confused as the daemons danced between each other and their Humans.

To Simon, and to Darissa, it was perfect.

~~~

Isabelle Lightwood was the first person his age that Jace met who had a Settled daemon. Her snake, Ike, was curled around her left upper arm, and eyed Winona, who was a fox terrier today, with a cheerful glint in his eye. “What a lovely form. I do miss legs, every so often, but I feel my colouring more than makes up for it.” He twisted under the lights, and rainbows splintered off his black scales.

Winona squinted at him. “You think being pretty is going to save your life?”

Ike made a sound like dry rice hitting glass, which Jace guessed was his version of a laugh. “If I'm pretty, they don't see my fangs until it's too late.” Ike was terrifying and sharp and enjoyed taunting the people who underestimated Isabelle. All facets of her seemed perfectly reflected in that snake, and Winona watched as Isabelle practised with her whip, flinching at a too-loud thud when the whip slipped from her hand and collided with the target.

“Damn it.” She said, walking towards it.

On instinct, Winona ran and picked up the whip.”I got it.” She said around the weapon, before placing it at Isabelle's feet.

Isabelle's eyes widened, before her face softened. “Thanks, Winona.” Winona sat at her feet as she tried again, and Jace watched from the side with Ike. “So, Jace, do you know how long you’re going to be staying here?”

Jace frowned. “What do you mean?”

Izzy shrugged. “From what Mom and Dad were saying, you’re only staying until they find somewhere for you to go. I was just wondering.”

Winona raised a furry eyebrow. “Why? Don’t want us ruining your happy little family?” She snapped, before whining. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what happened.”

Isabelle smiled, and scratched Winona for a second between her ears. “I just need to know whether or not to start cleaning out the room next to Alec. I’m not the best neighbour; Mom says I play my music too loud.”

“Oh.”, Jace said, and Ike’s crimson tongue flicked against his knee.

“We won’t get rid of you. We like you.” The snake said, pressing against his leg. “Also, you're much warmer than Alec.”

“When am I going to meet Alec, anyway?”

“He’s coming back with Mom and Dad. So, I don’t know, three days?” Izzy’s whip hit the target, and it splintered in the middle. “Oh, yeah!” Winona barked in support, and Jace cheered as she moved to strike again. She flicked her wrist, and the snake-shaped leather struck the centre again, snapping the target in two.

“Remind me to never get on the other end of that.” Jace said, before jumping up at the sound of heels clicking on the floor.

“Mom.” Izzy said, tugging at the hem of her skirt. “You’re home early.” Maryse was a formidable figure even without the great wingspan of her eagle daemon, Roark, resting on her shoulder. Roark turned to face Winona and Jace, almost judging them based on appearance alone.

Maryse nodded. “We couldn’t find any direct blood relatives, so there was no reason to stay in Idris.” Jace frowned, and began to shuffle his feet. Winona’s tail went between her legs, bracing myself herself for the abandonment, for the loneliness, for the- “Jace and Winona will be staying with us.”

“Really?” Jace half-said, eyes wide.

Maryse’s expression softened. “Of course, we would love you have you here. You can room next to Alec, he should be here the day after tomorrow.” She turned to Isabelle, and the steel returned. “Show Jace to his room, and help him clean it up.” She turned and left the training room, immediately barking orders to a Shadowhunter who wasn’t fast enough around a corner. Jace looked to Izzy, and smiled.

“Lead the way.” He said, and Izzy laughed as she scooped up Ike in one smooth movement. They spent the rest of the day clearing out old boxes and bags of clothes which looked as old as the Institute itself. They laughed and played, and put Jace’s few things away just before they were called to dinner. The pair ran down the hall, Winona darting between their legs, and right into a dark-haired boy around Jace’s age.

“Alec!” Isabelle yelled, grabbing him just as he began to fall. “You okay?”

“I’m fine.” Alec said, before turning to Jace. “You’re Jace, right?” He held out his hand. “I’m Alec.” Jace took his hand, and shook it. Just as he was about to let go, a navy scorpion crawled onto his hand.

“I like you.” It said, before looking back at Alec. “Can we keep him?”

“Um.” Jace said eloquently, and the scorpion’s pincers opened and closed in quick succession, like a parody of a crowd applauding.

“I’m Thaddeus, Alec’s daemon.” The scorpion introduced himself, before crawling back onto Alec’s shoulder and settling on a rough patch of tshirt fabric. “Mom sent us to find you. Dinner’s getting cold.”

“You coming?” Alec finished, and Isabelle nodded, Ike shaking a little from his position on her head. She bounced away, Ike cackling the entire time. Alec began to follow, but stopped when he realised Jace was still standing there, looking at his hand. “Jace, come on.” He said, and Jace looked up, mismatched eyes wide.

“My dad said that people don’t normally touch other people’s daemons.”

Alec shrugged, a half-smile tugging at one corner of his mouth. “It doesn’t happen often, but Thaddeus has a mind of his ow- Ow!” Alec yelped as Thaddeus sank a claw into his deflect rune at the comment, and frowned at his daemon. “Like I said, mind of his own. Now, seriously, my Mom is gonna kick my ass if I don’t get you to dinner.” Alec held out his hand, and when Jace walked forward that hand rested on his shoulder, and if Thaddeus decided that he liked blond hair better, or if Winona slept on Alec’s feet, well, nobody was going to gossip.

~~~

Simon didn’t mean to see Maureen’s daemon, Aminon, settle. Of course, he didn’t mean to accidentally pick a fight with a pair of assholes who were having too much fun talking leering at the kids walking down the street. When one of them went to take a swing at him, Maureen leaped in front of Simon, and in the space of a few seconds, had said man on the floor, screaming as he held his wrist, eyes wide as his hand rested in an obviously broken position. “Fucking bitch! You broke my hand! You fucking broke my hand!” He yelled, and a crowd began to form around them.

“Start shit like that again, asshole, and I’ll break your goddamn face.” She hisses, teeth bared in a snarl which mirrored her daemon’s. Phones were out, people were talking, and Simon reached out for Maureen.

“Maureen, hey, it’s ok, come on, let’s go.” He said, like a mantra, and she began to calm down.

“Holy fuck, look at her daemon. It’s fucking glowing.” Someone in the crowd said, and Simon looked at Aminon as he glowed a soft gold, before Settling into a Maine Coon.

“A fucking cat?” The other man sneered, eyeing the daemon. “Of course you’re a real fucking pussy.” He laughed a sick laugh, and Simon’s hands grasped at empty air as he tried, and failed, to stop Maureen from launching herself at his head.

“Alright you piece of shit! Fucking take this!” She screamed, before giving him one solid punch to the jaw. The man stumbled back and fell in a pile of boxes, dazed. Maureen, however, stood there, not a hair out of place, grinning a terrifying grin. “Told you I’d break your face.”

“Okay Maureen we need to go now! Come on!” Simon grabbed her arm, and scooped up Aminon with his other arm, making sure Darissa, who was spending the day as a lizard, was safe in his hoodie pocket. The pair ran as fast as they could, only stopping when they ended up at Clary’s place. Simon looked at Maureen, and began to laugh. “I can’t believe you punched a guy for me! Wait, no! You punched out a guy and broke another guy’s wrist for me!” Maureen began to laugh at Simon’s laugh, which had devolved into an odd cackle, and the two were found by Clary when the laughing was so loud that Jocelyn asked her to see if the cats outside needed help. She told them this, which only made the pair laugh even more, with a few snorts thrown in for good measure.

That’s when Clary saw Aminon leap down out of Simon’s arms and onto the pavement, and screamed. “Aminon! You’re Settled!”

Aminon nodded, stretching, “Maureen fought and won, and I settled into the biggest cat you could ever damn well see.”

“Maureen did what?” Clary looked at the pair, who stopped laughing.

“Um.” Simon said eloquently, before sprinting past Clary into her house. “I’m using Mrs Fray as protection! You’re on your own!”

“Traitor!” Maureen yelled, right behind him, and Clary followed them both into her home with a sigh. The three of them ended up in the dining room, empty save for the three of them and their daemons, who darted between their legs and brushed up against shins. They all toppled onto the creaky old couch Mrs Fray couldn’t be bothered replacing, and laughed as Maureen told Clary how she was a hero. Well, Maureen didn’t think so, but Darissa sat on Maureen’s face whenever she said otherwise.

“Wait, what are Maine Coons famous for?” Aminon half-yawned, claws rapping against the hard floors.

“Um.” Clary pulled out her phone, tapping away. “Okay, so Maine Coons are a symbol of the Norse goddess Freyja, who’s the patron of love, sex, beauty, fertility, gold, war, and death.” Clary looked down at Aminon, who was now playing with her shoelace. “You’re meant to be a weapon of mass destruction, basically.”

Maureen punched the air. “Does that mean I’m gonna get superpowers?”

Simon shook his head. “I don’t think so, otherwise you’d have done the transformation by now.”

“It might need time to kick in, like when Peter Parker got bitten by the spider, y’know.”

Clary looked at her friends. “Are you two legitimately considering the possibility that Maureen might get superpowers because her daemon can take down a bear.” Simon and Maureen’s eyes widened, and Clary waved her phone around. “I did extra reading. Maine Coons are wild as hell.”

Maureen hit her on the shoulder half-heartedly. “You’re wild as hell. Shit. Wait, no. That’s a compliment. Fuck!” Clary laughed as Maureen groaned, fingers brushing over fur and scales and Cenon’s dove-white feathers.

She looked at Simon, “You okay? Didn’t scrape anything?”

“I’m fine, Mom.” Simon said, flicking at Clary’s ear. And even though he’d stepped wrong when running away, when he was lying on a ratty old couch with his best friends, their daemons curled up between arms and in hair, he really was okay.

~~~

Parabatai ceremonies were, in Isabelle’s words, a big fucking deal. So Jace did his best to make himself look presentable, and even managed to get all of Winona’s fur to sit the same way. Neither she or Thaddeus had settled, but the pair had decided that it’d be useful to try out new forms before the ceremony, so that they could at least match. Today, they were Island Foxes, brown-and-black bushy tails bright and standing at attention as the Silent Brother - was it Jeremiah? Zachariah? They all looked the same and it was really creepy. - raises his hands over Jace and Alec, who were standing, arms linked together.

Alec was, to be frank, freaking the fuck out. And you didn't need to see his daemon to know that.

Thaddeus was shaking a little, and Winona sent a little apology up to Raziel before she leapt forward and pressed her nose against Thaddeus’. “You okay?” She whispered, ignoring the pointed stare of the Silent Brother’s crow daemon, which was, surprisingly, just like any other Silent Brother’s daemon.

“This is a big deal.” The chanting faded away as the pair pressed closer together, fur mingling and breaths swirling together.

“Iz told me. We’ve got this, don’t worry.” Winona headbutted Thaddeus just as the last of the rune was drawn, and then everything began to burn. Winona and Thaddeus yowled as Alec and Jace began to scream, pure energy flowing through them as the bond strengthened and their souls collided. Everything went gold, then black, then came back into focus. Alec and Jace were holding each other up, on their knees, arms on shoulders, foreheads pressed together. The crowd, Isabelle and Maryse and Robert and Hodge and Raj and everyone else in the institude, was whispering and pointing at Thaddeus and Winona.

Especially Winona.

She got up, waited for her legs to steady, and shook with all her might, when gold dust flew off of her in a big puff, she stopped, and looked at Jace, who was looking at her. “I Settled.” She said, amazed, looking down at the ground. There, right in front of her, were two white lion’s paws.

Her white paws.

Thaddeus pressed against her, and huffed into her ear. “We’ve got this, don’t worry.” He took a step towards Alec, who clutched at his daemon’s red-orange mane and used that to get up. Winona followed, standing next to Jace as he stood. The Silent Brother shook off his amusement - Why was he amused? This is a Parabatai ceremony, not a comedy show! - and raised his hands.

“I gather you here as witnesses to the Parabatai bond between Jace Wayland and Alec Lightwood. May their bond be known throughout history.” Winona stood proud, and as she roared in unison with Thaddeus, a quiet, croaky voice spoke in her mind, the Crow daemon.

“Your Human will do great things, but first you must find his Raven.”

~~~

Simon and Darissa watched as Clary walked into the cafe, Darissa coiled into a circle around Simon’s coffee cup. She was excited, but it was understated, like she was pretending to be sad, the little shit. Cenon was nowhere to be found, he wasn’t in her hair or on her shoulder. Maybe he was trying out being an ant? “Hey Clary.” Darissa said as the redhead sat down. “Where’s Cenon?” Clary smiled, before opening her jacket. Curled underneath was a long, black lump.

One leathery black wing unfurled, and a soft, wide-eyed face peeked out. “I’m sleeping, rack off.”

“Cenon, really.” Clary huffed, her smile still there as Darissa shot forward, excited.

“You’re a bat? That’s super cool!” She hissed, scaly nose pressed against Cenon’s belly.

“That’s not the only good news.” Cenon said, and Clary groaned.

“Honestly, I can’t keep secrets with you around.” She looked at Simon. “I got in.”

“Dude, congrats! That’s super awesome.”

Clary shrugged, “Yeah, they were way more interested in the stuff for our novel than the sketches I did specifically for the interview.” She sipped at her coffee. “If I had known that, I would have done more monsters and less pretty landscapes.” Darissa curled away from where Cenon was tucked away, and waited as the bat daemon untangled himself from Clary’s jacket.

“Well, as celebration for not only acing the interview, but for being eighteen, I gift thee a celebratory biscotti.” Simon gestured to the plate in between them, which was piled with biscotti. Clary picked up two, popping one whole into her mouth and leaving the other on the paper-covered table. “Dont choke, I don’t know CPR.”

“Fuck you.” Clary said around her biscotti, moving her left hand so that Cenon could rest on her fingers. Darissa put her head next to Cenon’s, and closed her eyes. “You comfy, Dar?”

“I’m good.” Clary nodded, then turned to grab her other biscotti, and frowned. It was nowhere to be found. In its place on the paper was a sketch of a biscotti, but no actual biscotti was found. “I swear I had another biscotti.”

Simon pushed the plate towards her. “You probably ate it. Hence the half-dozen.” While their Humans ate, Darissa and Cenon looked at each other. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

The Case of the Magical Disappearing Biscotti, however, is forgotten as Champagne Enema performed that night, Aminon resting on the keyboard and Darissa twirled around the mic stand as their Humans perform ‘Forever Young’. Clary and Cenon caused a riot in the audience, Cenon flapping above the crowd of slightly-drunk young adults. The set finished, and the group sat outside of the van. Clary talked about how Jocelyn’s acting super weird, and Darissa looked at Cenon, who shrugged, well, shrugged as well as a bat can shrug. When Clary fimished, she jumped up and grabbed the spray paint. “So, you went on tonight as Champagne Enema, a terrible decision on your part.”

Maureen laughed. “I told you, Ambidextrous Biscotti was a much better idea.” Aminon meowed in agreement.

“I would have been hungry the entire time. Anyway, I have a much better idea.” Simon said, beaming. “Rock Solid Panda.”

There was a pause, broken by Darissa snorting. “I’m not turning into a panda for an aesthetic.”

Clary looked at Maureen, who nodded. “Rock Solid Panda it is.” The artist said, before shaking the black paint and spraying one long arc. The group watched her work, mesmerised as she painted, and some of the finished tags prompted ‘Cool art, dude!’ from passersby. Just as Clary finished the final tag, and the Humans swarmed around the finished masterpiece, Darissa felt something odd. She looked around from her perch on Simon’s shoulder, and held back a gasp as she saw a white lion walk into the club. It had to be a daemon, so she Reached out, projecting interest and curiosity. The lion stopped and looked back at her, mismatched eyes bright with amusement.

All of a sudden, Clary began to walk into the club, and Darissa snapped back into reality. Cenon flew past Simon and Darissa without a backwards glance. “What happened? I was looking at something else.” She asked, and Aminon hissed, eyes bright with anger. “You saw it too.”

“I don’t like lions. They’re obstinate and think they’re a gift to humanity.” Their Humans couldn’t hear them over the heavy beat of the club, and Darissa leapt off of Simon’s shoulder and onto Aminon as he walked up the ramp which lead to the rafters, where the patrons’ daemons were perched. Aminon followed their Humans to the bar, while Darissa kept an eye out for Cenon.

He wasn’t up here.

Then, there was a flash of red hair from below, and Clary was rushing through the club, Cenon clinging to her arm. She ran into a man with his deep red lizard daemon curled around his neck, stammered what must be an apology, and fled outside.

That was the last time Darissa saw Cenon, and Clary, for three days.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Simon meets Jace. Darissa meets Winona. Ike is a flirt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! Life was an asshole!
> 
> Also, I understand that you guys may be super excited abt this fic, and want updates just as much as I enjoy writing them, but PLEASE don't leave comments which just say some form of 'update please!' They may seem fine to you, but to me they're huge buzzkills because 1. I'm expecting actual reactions/comments about my writing and 2.I just started uni so they're going to be late. I'm not getting paid for this, and because of my financial condition both work and uni will take priority over this fic. It does not mean that it is abandoned, all it means is that going 'update please!!!!!' is going to do more harm than good.
> 
> Any comments which are solely 'update please!' or any form with a similar message will be deleted.
> 
> Actual comments are amazing tho!!!!!!!! Keep those coming!!!!!!!!!

_Those with Raven daemons are inquisitive and playful. Unlike Crows, which are the trademark daemon for Silent Brothers, which symbolise death and mystery, Ravens are globally known for wisdom and majesty. However, one common thread for nephilim with Raven daemons is the lifespan._

 

_Historically, the wife of the first Shadowhunters died during childbirth, giving her life to save her child's. Since then, no Raven Shadowhunters have ever been recorded making it past twenty-five. Understandably, when members of the family are found to be Ravens, whole Institutes are known to bench said Shadowhunter in hopes for prolonging their life. Unfortunately, as history has shown, with the destruction of the first Sydney Institute, this never works, and the Shadowhunter always dies._

  - The Raven Curse: Daemon Symbolism within Nephilim Societies, 1932

 

~~

Darissa was silent as she sat in the passenger seat of the van, as tense as Simon was as he drove to an abandoned church, where Clary’s phone was. She was no longer a snake, tired of being unable to go anywhere without help. Now, she was a german shepherd, big and bold and ready to find Clary and Cenon, no matter what it took. It didn’t help that Luke couldn’t be reached, and for some reason Clary’s home was blocked to the public. When Simon and Darissa snuck over the fence, they could smell why. Everything smelled like smoke.

 

Simon pulled to the side, and parked the van, before getting out. Darissa followed, and the door slammed shut as Simon called Clary, praying for an answer. It rang once, twice, three times before she answered. When she did, Darissa sighed in relief, before cocking her head. Someone was out here with them. She turned, focusing, and saw a rat in the bushes. She would have ignored said rat, but when it moved in the light, it shined gold. Another Humanless daemon. Or, more likely, the Human was hiding, but why?

 

The door to the church opened, and Clary stepped out in clothes that were definitely not hers, with Cenon following close be-

 

The white lioness was with her. She was, in all senses of the word, beautiful. Her claws were silent against the steps of the Church, and just as Darissa was about to ask who she was, the Lion pounced on the rat, and crushed it in one fell swoop. The Lion stepped back, and Darissa could see a body next to it.

 

The Rat’s Human. But, Darissa didn’t see him there. It was like the man had materialised out of nowhere. “Who are you?” Darissa said to the Lion, who huffed.

 

“Jace.” She purred. “Deglamour yourself, his daemon can see me.” As soon as she finished, the air next to her rippled, and a blond man with eyes like hers and tattoos appeared. Simon inhaled, half shock and half attraction, and Clary crossed her arms, defensive. Cenon flittered between Clary and Darissa, before quickly swooping down to Darissa.

 

“You okay?” The dog asked, and Cenon nodded.

 

“We’re okay. It’s just been a long few days.” Darissa pressed her nose against his face, and breathed in the smell of Cenon-and-Clary. They were okay, but smelt fresher, if that was possible for a soul bond.

 

“You two must be close.” The blond man - Jace, if that was his name - said, gesturing to Darissa and Cenon. “Daemons aren’t usually touchy-feely with people outside family units.”

 

“It’s a ‘she saved my life and her daemon’s a mother hen’ thing.” Simon explained, and Jace laughed.

 

“I’m Jace, this is Winona, my daemon.” He gestured to the lion, who bowed. Jace’s eyebrows jumped up as she bowed, and he laughed. “What have I gotta do to get that sort of respect.”

 

Winona huffed at his knee. “How about wear a clean shirt every day for a week.”

 

“Listen, Simon, there’s something I need to tell you about.” Clary said, walking towards him. As she explained everything to Simon, Cenon explained it all to Darissa, who whined and growled and tensed and whined again. Well, magic did kind of explain the fresh smell in their bond. “We can trust him, he’s okay.”

 

“You’re gonna trust GI Joe over here? Clary, you said it yourself, you’ve known him for three days, and for most of that you were unconscious.” Simon pleaded. “Come home with me, stay with my Mom, Rebecca’s at college already so her room’s free, just, please, don’t go with some weird magic bikie gang. If you’re that desperate for adventure I’ll take you on a road trip and we’ll pick up a questionable hitchhiker.”

 

Clary half-laughed. “That’s not any better. Simon, I don’t know why, but I trust him. It, it feels like I belong, you know?” Darissa looked at Cenon, who nodded in agreement. With a sigh, Darissa stepped forward. Before she could say anything however, Winona crouched down.

 

“We’re being watched.” She growled. “Get everyone inside, now.” Jace nodded, before leaning towards Simon and Clary.

 

“We need to go, now. You’re in danger, both of you are.” Jace said, and Clary followed. Simon, however, stayed put. “Come on.” Jace grabbed him by the arm and pulled Simon inside, daemons following close behind. The door slammed shut behind then, and Darissa looked at Jace, concerned. Daemons couldn't be separated from their Humans, how could Winona deal with being on the other side of the door? Jace must have seen her question, because he crouched down to her level, eyes soft. “My job means that Winn and I need to be separated, because white lions are pretty rare, if you haven't noticed. Once she checks everything is ok, she'll be right beside you, don't worry.” He smiled at her before getting up, and Cenon pulled at her ear, wanting attention.

 

“I told you he was okay.” He said, but Darissa was still unsure. Why the empty Church? There was nothing here. The pair sat and watched as Jace drew something on his hand, then grabbed Simon’s.

 

“Dude, what the hell, I'm not your type.” Simon stammered, before Simon and his daemon gasped in shock. The Church began to shift and change, shattered glass windows reforming themselves and chandeliers flying off of the floor and repositioning themselves on the roof. Lights flickered on, and a huge complex of computers and people appeared, suddenly illuminated, as if the lights had been turned on. “Shit.”

 

Jace walked forward, and Darissa, still reeling from the sudden magical organisation hidden in the ruins, didn’t Jace’s fingers linger around Simon’s hand before he pulled away. She did, however, see the hulking lion slip in front of her from a gap in the wall. “Shit!” She swore, stumbling into the wall. “Ow.”

 

Winona turned, laughed, and helped her up. She was warm and soft, even though her claws were still covered in the dust which made up daemons. Even scarier, though, was that Darissa really wasn’t scared of her, or her Human. They were different, sure, but they weren’t evil. Even though the church that they were walking through was strange and smelt weird, like someone had left toothpaste open for three weeks, and the people and their daemons stared at Simon a big longer than socially appropriate, Jace and Winona were okay.

 

“What is going on? Why is there a Mundane in the institute?” A dark haired man raises his eyebrow as Simon and Darissa walked into the complex, and Jace sighed. He walked forward, and Darissa saw no daemon move with him. Maybe it was small? Or somewhere else, like Winona was before.

 

“Alec, please. The Mundane was about to be murdered.”

 

“Is that really an issue?” Alec grumbled, arms crossed. Asshole.

 

“It is when the guy had a Circle rune.” Alec looked at Jace. He stared for a few seconds, eyes twitching, before he sighed a long, heavy sigh.

 

“Jace. What the fuck.” Alec pinched the bridge of his nose, before looking at Darissa. “A pup. Cute.”

 

Darissa snarled. “Bite me, asshole.”

 

“Darissa, please.” Clary pleaded, and Cenon tugged at her ear. _Back down, it’s okay._

 

“Okay, I’m missing something. What’s a Circle member?” Simon asked. That certainly didn’t come up in the frantic debriefing that happened outside.

 

Jace crossed his arms and blew a loose strand of hair back. “All we know is, a long time ago the Circle led a revolt, and a lot of Shadowhunters got killed, including my father.”

 

“Since then, we’ve been banned from talking about it.” Alec said, turning to Winona. “You seen Thaddeus?”

 

“He’s your daemon.” She huffed, pressing her head into his hand. Weird.

 

Alec scratched her behind the ears. “You two cuddle in the hallways.”

 

“He’s gone looking for trouble. He’ll be back.” Alec nodded.

 

“The only person who knows this whole Circle thing is missing, so screw your stupid rules! We need to find someone who still talks about it.” Clary said, and Cenon began to shift.

 

Jace nodded. “There is someone.” He said, walking towards a flight of stairs. When Clary, Simon and Darissa, with Cenon still on top, began to follow, Jace spun around and held Simon back. “Not you.”

 

Clary bristled. “Hey, we’re a package deal.”

 

Jace huffed. “He takes one step inside there, and your boyfriend’s daemon is gonna burn.”

 

Clary frowned, and looked at Simon, then at Jace, then at Simon again. Her brows furrowed, and she winced. “Ew. Dating Simon? That’d be like dating my brother.” Simon nodded in agreement.

 

“We get it, you sapphic piece of shit.” Cenon said, flying up and tugging at Clary’s ear. “Can we get back to the part where Darissa is gonna fucking _burn up_?”

 

Jace blinked twice at the daemon swearing, before answering . “The rune power will destroy any Mundane Daemon which takes a single step into that room. It’ll leave Simon in a comatose-like state, without emotion or purpose.” He looked right at Simon. “You need to stay here.”

 

“Okay, so, um, what’s a rune?” Darissa asked, and Jace began to speak when the click-clack of stiletto heels echoed across the room, and the group turned to stare at the woman walking towards them.

 

This woman? Oh man. Thick black hair, tight dress, dazzling smile and a snake wrapped around her neck like a trophy. She looked dangerous, and it was electrifying. “Runes give us our powers.” She held a weird amalgamation of a wand and a glowstick up against a mark on her arm, which began to glow.

 

Simon let out a low whistle, and Jace coughed. “What? It’s a cool thing to have! That’s why people like Vikings. Wait, are you guys descended from vikings?” Winona huffed in amusement, and the woman stepped forward, a grin on her face.

 

“Don’t worry, Clary, I’ll look after your friend. In fact, I was about to make breakfast.” Jace made a noise, and smirked.

 

“On second thought, the runes might be a safer choice.”

 

The snake around her neck made a sound like dry rice hitting glass. “I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that, Jace.” It warned, before sliding off of the woman’s neck and down her arm, wrapping around her wrist. “Please excuse our brothers manners, every time they talk it’s an ego measuring contest.”

 

“Ike, be nice.” The woman warned her daemon, before beaming at Simon. “You’ve met Alec,” She said, pointing over her brother, who rolled his eyes and looked away. “And I’m Isabelle.” She held out the hand with Ike coiled around it, and Simon shook it.

 

Cenon groaned, and Darissa heard a quiet “For fuck’s sake, Simon.” as her human stuttered his name at this pretty girl. “He better be fine when I get back.” Clary warned, though the threat really doesn’t mean much when the person giving the warnings barely makes five foot.

 

“Don’t worry, I trust Isabelle with my life.” Jace said, “Simon will be fine.”

 

“Yeah, Clary, I’ll be fine.” Simon said. “I think.” Isabelle laughed, and Darissa relaxed, before immediately growling as a golden blur streaked past and stopped at Jace’s feet.

 

“Well, now I know who the favourite is.” Jace said, scratching the Lion daemon behind the ears. “Hey, Thaddeus. See anything?”

 

Thaddeus purred. “Nothing. Seems like the one Winn got was the only one there.” Jace nodded, before walking back towards the stairs. He looked at Clary, and she followed, Cenon and Thaddeus trailing behind. Not long after, Darissa watched as Alec and Winona walked in the opposite direction.

 

“How the hell?” Darissa whispered, before yelping as Simon scooped her up. “I’m not a toy!”

 

“Your legs are too small, Dar. You should try being something faster.” Simon said as he followed Isabelle through a network of halls and doors and passageways with old paintings and stained glass windows.

 

“How about a leopard, so that you’ll think twice about doing this shit to me.” She cursed, before being placed on a very comfortable bed. She pressed her paws into the covers, and sighed as she buried herself in the grey fabric. “This is something I could get used to.” Darissa closed her eyes and shifted in the fabric, before yelping when something wet flickered at her nose.

 

“Relax, it’s just me.” Darissa opened her eyes and looked at Ike, who was coiled in front of her. Simon was sitting by the pillows, eyes on the door. Isabelle must have left to get food.

 

“Can I ask a question? About Jace and Alec and Winona and Thaddeus?” Ike started to attention, onyx eyes flashing with excitement.

 

“You want to know about the whole daemon switching thing, don’t you?” When both Darissa and Simon nodded, Ike shifted so that he was in more of a stack and less of a pancake, and began. “Alec and Jace took part in a ceremony a few years ago which made them something we call parabatai. A parabatai is someone you share everything with, they're somebody who fights with you, and for you. A parabatai is an extension of your soul, and because of that bond, it's common for daemons of people with parabatai bonds to swap the person they stay with. Mainly, Winona stays with Jace, but sometimes she'll stay with Alec.”

 

“That's, that's actually really cool.” Darissa said, and Ike laughed.

 

“Cool is only one part of it. When Alec and Jace took part in the ceremony, both Winona and Thaddeus Settled into the same thing. It was amazing.” Ike’s grin was obvious, and Darissa frowned. “You're not Settled, are you?” When Darissa didn't answer, Ike slithered close and pressed his head onto her paw. “You'll be fine, don't worry. I bet whatever you become, it'll be amazing.”

 

Then, Isabelle arrived with food, and Alec arrived with Winona. “Apparently there’s a warlock who might know where Jocelyn is.” He said. “The mundane is with me. You need to sort out Fray.”

 

Isabelle grinned. “I thought that you would have picked up enough of women’s fashion just by being my brother.”

 

Alec’s resting bitchface didn’t change. “Hilarious.” Winona, however, almost fell over laughing. Alec looked at her, “It’s not that funny.”

 

Winona snorted. “I’m laughing at you.” She turned to Simon and Darissa. “Come on, I wanna show you around.”

 

“They’ll die.” Alec butted in, and Winona frowned at him.

 

“Okay, buzzkill, how about the places where they won’t die?” Winona said, and Alec shrugged. “ Come on you two!” She stood up and began half bouncing around the door. “Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!”

 

Simon got off the bed, and Darissa followed them out the door, looking back at Isabelle and Ike, who were tearing apart the wardrobe, for a second before she left. Alec said nothing as they walked through the maze of hallways, while Winona talked about all the paintings of people long dead. “And that woman is Alec’s great-grandmother, Andromeda. She pioneered archery as a form of combat.”

 

Darissa huffed. “Did they think archery was stupid or something?”

 

Winona nodded. “It was considered a coward’s skill. Really though, it saves countless lives, because most of the bad guys never make it to the battle when our archer is there.”

 

“Whoa. How good is your archer?”

 

Winona looked at Alec, who’s ears were tipped with red. “He’s amazing.” Darissa nodded, and the four walked backed into the church’s central complex. There, Jace and Thaddeus were waiting, Thaddeus checking his claws the way a fourty-year-old businesswoman checks her nails while waiting to fire someone. “Hi.”

 

Jace smiled, and Winona walked up to him and pressed her face into his hip. “Someone’s cuddly.”

 

“You give better head scratches than Alec. Sorry, buddy.” Alec shrugged, seemingly uncaring, but the twitch at the corner of his mouth betrayed him. “Do you know how long Iz is going to be?”

 

Jace shrugged. “Normally I’d say an hour, but with Clary? Who knows?”

 

The clicking of heels against the marble floor answered their question, however, as both Isabelle and Clary walked down the steps. “I heard my name.” Isabelle said, Ike coiled around one wrist like a dangerous bangle. Cenon was perched in Clary’s hair like a gaudy decorative halloween hair tie. “Change of plans. We need to go to the City Of Bones.”

 

Darissa started. “The Who of the What Now?”

 

"Secret underground city." Jace explained, like it was no big deal.

 

Simon frowned. “And I’m assuming that this City of Bones is local?”

 

“It’s a half hour drive.” Isabelle smiled. Simon sighed.

 

“Well, I guess we’re taking the van.”

 

One of Alec's eyebrows twitched. “There's a van?”

 

“What? You got a Shadowhunters Mystery Machine? No? We take the van. And I'm driving!”

 

The ride was quiet, the silence broken only by Jace giving directions and Ike’s obscure questions, which were all ignored. Simon parked the van underneath the bridge, and squeezed the steering wheel three times before getting out. Clary grabbed his shoulder as he walked out, and squeezed. “You okay?”

 

Simon nodded. “It’s been a long day.” Clary’s hand slid down his arm and stopped at his elbow. “Let’s go.” The pair walked together, Cenon perched on Winona’s head as she followed.

 

The Shadowhunters were gathered in a circle, their daemons tense. “What’s wrong?” Clary asked, and Ike shifted on Isabelle's wrist.

 

“Your friend won't be able to join us. The rune power and all that.” He explained. “Isabelle and I are perfectly happy to stand guard.”

 

“Ike.” Isabelle sighed. “Seriously, though, we’re perfectly happy to watch Simon and Darissa. Jace’ll be taking you inside.” imon and Darissa nodded, and Clary squeezed Simon’s elbow.

 

“I’ll be right back.” She said, before scooping up Cenon and walking towards Jace and Winona.

 

“Don’t die in there! You need a witness with a flair for the dramatic!” Simon called after her as she walked towards the stone doorway, and her laugh bounced off of the metal drums and into the night as she disappeared. Simon waited a few seconds, half hopeful that she’ll run out of there, laughing, with a camera crew behind her saying that he’d just been pranked. But, alas, the only thing which snuck out of the doorway was a rat.

 

Ew.

 

Thaddeus yawned at Simon, baring all his fangs. “Honestly, do we really have to sit here and wait for them?”

 

Alec looked at his daemon. “Do you have a better idea to get her memories back?”

 

Simon started. “Her memories?”

 

Isabelle sighed. “Someone’s taken Clary’s memories, most likely to protect her.”

 

“People can do that?”

 

“It’s not hard.” Alec answered. “Warlocks, demons, getting punched in the head too many times, comas, drugs. Memories are easy to remove, even for mundanes.”

 

“Oh.” Simon said eloquently. Isabelle laughed.

 

“I guess that answers my question.” She said, brushing a lock of his hair back. _Keep it cool Simon, keep it fucking cool._

 

“What question?”

 

Alec rolled his eyes as Isabelle laughed. “What Clary sees in you, of course.”

 

“Oh.” _Wow, good job Simon. Good fucking job._ Even though it was probably the worst response Isabelle had ever gotten from a boy, she laughed again, and Ike made that dry-rice-hitting-metal noise again. Well, at least her daemon thought it was funny.

 

“Dear lord.” Thaddeus said, looking at his Human. “I can’t be here. I’m going to check the perimeter.” The lion leapt onto a fence post, and disappeared into the shrubbery. Alec looked at where Thaddeus landed like he’d be able to teleport there if he looked hard enough.

 

Isabelle, however, only batted her eyes and flirted even more, Ike sliding up her arm and resting around her neck like a choker in all senses of the word. “And what’s the answer to that question?” Simon dared to ask, one hand blindly reaching for Darissa, who pressed her head into his palm, grounding him. Her fur was soft and warm, and was familiar enough that his heart slowed to a somewhat normal speed.

 

“You’re cute.” She smiled, flicking at the half-curl which loved to fight off the product he used and sit in the middle of his forehead.

 

“By the Angel.” Alec swore. “I’m going to check on Thaddeus.” He jumped over the fence and disappeared like an angry ninja.

 

“So,” Isabelle said “what do mundanes do for fun?”

 

 _Oh, okay, something I know, I can do this, I can do this._ “I’m in a band.”

 

Isabelle lit up. “A band! Can I hear some of your music?”

 

Simon nodded, checking his pockets for his phone. “Yeah, let me just find my phone. It should be here.” His pockets were empty, and then he remembered. It’s in the back of the van, where it always is when he drives. “It’s still in the van. I’ll be right back.”

 

Isabelle laughed as Darissa chased after Simon. “I’ll be waiting.” Ike’s tongue flickered as the pair turned the corner.

 

“You okay?” Darissa asked, and Simon nodded. “It’s cause she’s super cute, right?”

 

Simon looked at his daemon. “Have you seen her?” He almost-yelled, flipping through his keys to find the one for the back door.

 

“I just wanna make sure the sparks I’m shooting off are because you’re flustered, and not because you’re about to spontaneously combust or something.” Darissa said, and Simon studied his daemon properly. Just like she said, Darissa was giving off little gold sparks.

 

“Damn. Is that normal?” He asked, shoving the right key into the lock and wiggling it a bit.

 

“There isn’t a daemon university. I guess it’s normal.” She said, climbing in after him. “I mean, Isabelle didn’t say anything.” Darissa looked at Simon. “Are you sure you’re okay? Your nerves are making my paws ache.”

 

Simon sat next to her, and pulled her onto his lap. “It’s just been a long day, that’s all.” He pressed his face against hers, and inhaled deeply. “Okay, let’s find this phone and try and flirt with a cute mystical assassin.” He reached behind him to get up, and laughed as he ended up grabbing his phone instead of the floor. “Step 1, complete.” He said, before actually getting up, phone in one hand and daemon in the other. “Ready to make a semi-decent third impression?”

 

Darissa scoffed. “What do you think I am? A blobfi-” Her ears perked up, and Darissa tilted her head, listening. “Something’s out there.”

 

“Something good, or something bad?” Simon asked.

 

Suddenly, a figure in dark clothes appeared at the doors of the van. “Oh, something very bad, mundane.” In the blink of an eye, the figure was behind them, and Darissa was thrown from his arms as Simon was pushed out of the van. He barely had time to breathe as he was thrown around, arms forced behind his back and bound, and carried to the top of the railway line in the span of a few seconds. He couldn’t see Darissa, could barely move his head from side to side from the death-grip on his chin from whoever was holding him from behind, but could feel her nearby. She was a ball of pure fear, which really wasn’t helping with Simon’s own rising panic.

 

 _Breathe, just breathe, you’re going to be okay_ , Simon thought loudly, hoping Darissa would hear him. They had both managed to calm down a bit when Simon was flipped upside down and dangled off the edge by whoever had him. Blood rushed to his head, and his breath caught in his throat as he watched Clary and Cenon try to get to him. The panic reappeared, and Simon couldn’t breathe as he was whisked away, the echoes of Clary’s scream bouncing around his head.


End file.
